Barely Hanging On
by Witch
Summary: Prue goes missing as a teenager and is presumed dead by the police, however a body is never found. This story follows Piper and Phoebe as they try to grieve for their sister whilst still believing that she could be alive. Will Piper and Phoebe be able to
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed or any of the characters in this fic. 

Barely Hanging On

Chapter 1

"We're all sorry for your loss"  
Her eyes cast towards the ground, as the words swirled around in her mind. Her hair gently hanging from her ears, she tilted her head towards the small, squat man sitting next to her. She looked into his deep blue eyes, filled with sympathy and pity and wanted to give him what he wanted. She wanted to break down and cry, let her brown eyes fill with tears and have him tell her everything would be all right – but she couldn't. Instead she let her eyes wander from his, and pulled her body stiffly into an upright sitting position.  
"I wasn't aware I'd lost anything," she glanced around the room as if looking for what she'd supposedly lost. "Piper, I know its difficult... grieving always is," he sighed, hoping in some way to connect with the girl sitting next to him. She seemed so lost and helpless, yet he wasn't sure how he could help her. He'd have given anything for the days of girls grieving over lost boyfriends, of boys punching walls after losing football games, or best friends fighting over lost loves... the typical high school dramatics he was used to dealing with. This was entirely different. He'd never dealt with anything like this.  
"I'm going to miss the start of next period. Can I go?" said Piper, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. He sighed again, and nodded. Getting up quickly Piper lifted her bag and walked towards the door. As she wandered through the open plan office she felt like a newcomer in those old western movies. As she moved slowly through the office, she felt the eyes of various secretaries on her, watching her every step, waiting for her to break down – all wanting to console her in whatever way they could. But she wouldn't accept their condolences, she didn't want their pity, she wanted them to have the same faith as she did.

The faith that they would still find her sister alive.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed

A/N: Its been such a long time since I've written anything... major case of writers block is to blame I'm afraid. But I'm feeling good about this fic and hopefully I can keep it going. As always reviews are always welcome and appreciated.

Barely Hanging On - Chapter 2

The walk to her class seemed like an endless one, trawling the corridors, glancing into the occasional classroom and receiving pitying looks from classmates. She continued walking, listening to the sound of her footsteps echoing, her breathing, short and tense, mimicking the thoughts in her head, the thoughts that had been swirling for days now.

She continued to walk. Her pace began to quicken unintentionally, and soon she was in a slow run. She was moving through corridor after corridor, a mere blur as she ran past classrooms filled with happy, gossiping students. She felt pain shoot through the balls of her feet, as they slapped violently off the tiled floors but she didn't care, she just kept running. She wasn't even sure where she was going, she knew the building well but wasn't sure where she would end up when she stopped running. She wanted to run back to three days ago, to when everything seemed so normal, so pleasant, even a little bit annoying.

Turning a corner swiftly she felt her legs begin to buckle, but still she pushed them to run further, cursing them for being weak, not being able to carry her as far as she wanted to go. She continued. Her pace began to slow, and soon it halted altogether when her legs fell from under her, bringing her small frame crashing to the ground. Her body hit the ground hard, but she didn't care, she hardly felt the pain that shot up her legs and landed in the small of her back.

Sitting on the cold, solid ground she wanted to cry. She wanted to scream, and cry, and lost herself in what she was feeling. Let everything out until there was nothing left inside tormenting her. But she wouldn't. She refused to show anyone that her faith was dying inside, she refused to show anyone how she was really feeling - so lost, and so tired of being lost. The relentless strain on her mind was building, tearing down all the emotional walls she had build up to keep a false smile across her pale, and run down face. She glanced at her watch, the classrooms would be emptying soon, the corridors would fill with students, fill with voices, with laugher, and with melancholy and unwanted compassion. Pulling herself to her feet she began to walk again, dragging her feet as she did. She felt defeated, she had managed to keep herself together for the past three days, holding her own and helping those around her – never letting her emotions show. But today she had lost, the running was her failure, it was outward sign of her inner turmoil that if witnessed would let anyone know she wasn't coping. That her faith was fading, her beacon of hope had long since gone out, and her chirpy attitude and demeanour were lies. She swiftly lifted her hand to her cheek, harshly wiping the tear that had escaped her eyes. Her face was slightly blotchy, and as she started walking again she heard the bell ringing. The sound was loud and echoed in her ears, and soon enough the hallways were full of students, walking past her as she moved effortlessly through the crowd, pulling her facade of happiness back on.

The rest of the day seemed to rush past, she ignored the whispers as she walked the corridor, and was infuriated by the teachers sympathetic glances. A few hours later she was walking home, with the San Francisco sun beating down on her, warming her cool exterior. She walked home the long way, avoiding crowded areas where she might be recognised, chosing to walk what her Grams referred to as the "sceneic routes" She passed by the house that she and Prue used to say was haunted as children, and stood for a moment, taking in its gothic appearance. She saw a shadow move at the window, as someone inside sauntered past going about their day unaware of the grieving teenager that watched their house. Piper looked up at the trees in the yard, they were going bare, leaving lying destitute on the slightly overgrown lawn. Her eyes were drawn to a small, brown leaf near the top that was swaying gently in the breeze. The wind was willing it to fall, blowly slightly more with every second as if trying to tempt the leaf down. Piper identified with the leaf, and its fight against all odds to stay up. She watched as it fought, and smiled, a small triumphant smile. She watching in glee as this leaf won its battle against the wind, which was slowly dying down and if admitting that the leaf could remain up there for one more day. Piper turned her back on the house, that somehow had been transformed into a beacon of hope rather than a scary place which had caused her hairs to stand on end as she and Prue crossed the road to avoid it.

She turned and started to walk away, her pace slightly quicker and lighter than before. As she continued down the street, the wind picked up, blowing slightly harder... blowing just hard enough to knock the leaf from its branch so high up. It began to fall, cascading towards the dewy grass below and landing gently in the pile of the other fallen leaves. 


End file.
